PLAINS DRAINAGE.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXV, Issue 4703, 26 May 1924, Page 2

PLAINS DRAINAGE.

BOARD MEETING. The regular meeting of the Hauraki Drainage Board was held at Turua on Friday last, Messrs G. Gray (chairman), R. H. Baker, J. Mules, R. IL Heappey, D. G. McMillan, and the clerk, Mr J E. Green, being present. CULVERT TO SECTION. Mr V. Y’oung, Hlkutaia, wrote asking permission to put 3ft concrete pipes in the Turua-Nethertoji roadside drain to make a culvert to his section. The pipes would be similar to others used along the drain. r he application was granted, subject to the pipes being laid to the satisfaction of the area member. DAMAGE TO LAND. Mr J. Mules reported that he had been interviewed by Mr H. Brown n regard to the damage done to his farm by the spoil from toe Willow 'Tree drain. It had bene spread back for over a chain from’the drain, with the result that over five acres -)f grass were covered up and converted into a mud patch. Mr Mules was r.f the opinion, that the man was justly entitled to compensation. Mr Brown waited upon the board and explained the losses he had sustained. In addition to the land taken for the drain he had been deprived of the grazing, and would have to regrass the area covered by the spoil. The board considered the claim a reasonable one, and thought that Mr Brown had a good case against the Government. The board was sympathetic, but could not take any action in the matter as the drain was being constructed by the Government for the ' Horahora-Opou rating area settlers. BLOCKAGE OF FLOOD-GATES. Mr J. Newman waited upon the board on behalf of the Ratepayers’ Association and pointed out that the floed-gates in the board’s area were generally in bad order. The association bad suggesed that a permanent' man should be engaged to look after the gates, and to be employed at other times in shifting slips from the drains. The chairman said that the board admitted, the gates were in bad order. Settlers were in the habit of permitting the water to carry away the weeds when the drains were being cleaned. During the recent high tides, when the whole of the land had been Hooded, an enormous amount of driftwood had been swept into the drains, with the resist that the gates became damaged. With regard to the appointment of a permanent man, the chairman said that the board already hud such a man, who inspected the flood-gates and reported to the board* Mr Newman said' that another matter he had been instructed to bring before the board was that many contractors did not throw the spoil far enough back from the drain banks, with the result that fences were covered or damaged The chairman said that the contracts specified that the spoil should be thrown three feet back from the drains, but during the present season the board had such difficulty in obtaining any labour it all that it had to accept what it could to get the essential work done. ALLEGED TAMPERING. Mr Tookey waited upon the board and said that his farm was the lowest land fronting the Waihou River. therefore required special drainage but in his opinion was not receiving it from the board, with the result that his farm was damaged. In addition, the drain through his property had not been cleaned. The chairman of the board had said that this drain would siot be cleaned, because Mr Tookey was pumping water from it. He thought this a trivial excuse. Mr Heappey asked how Mr Tookey obtained water during the summer. Mr Tookey said that the flood-gate leaked. Mr Gray stated that someone continually placed sticks in the flood-gate so that the water could get in. As Mr Tookey was the only one who desired this water in the summer time he had presumed that Mr Tookey ha I been the man who tampered with the gate. As the tide water had been permitted to enter, there was so much river silt in the drain that contractois could not be found to clean it The whole of the northern area drainage had been spoilt by the water entering through this flood-gate. Mr Tookey denied that he had ever tampered with the gate, and challenged the board to produce witnesses. Members replied that if witnesses could have been produced Mr Tookey would have heard of the matter through the court. Mr Tookey said that he would give the board an undertaking that he would not use the water from the drain for his cows, and would endeavour to keep the gate clear or inform the board whenever It was leaking. The board agreed that if Mr Tookey

signed such an‘agreement the board = would do what it could for him. INSPECTION OF FLOOD-GATES. Mr J. McConnell reported on an inspecticn made of the flood-gates during the month as follows; Turua Area; —Honias’ gate is slightly cracked, and could do w»th a light timber frame. The factorv gate is satisfactory. The school gate-needs a channel cut through the slips oa the outside. Jubilee gate is in fair order now. I concreted two patches at Mr Mules’ request since the inspection. Scott’s gate is in good working order, and I have removed several slips on the river side. Central Area. —Willow Drain' B*t« has both. gratings off. causing much more clearing to be done. The T.V«, outlet requires a timber frame inside. Daily’s and Tasker’s small gates are in good order, but Brown’s gate is very much out of order, through the land slipping pn the river side, and also because it has been used as a crossing for cattle before being thoroughly dry. Spencer’s gate is all right, except that the outlet is very dirty, causing about 3ft of water to be held up. A small piece is broken off each corner of the Puriri Point gate. Madgwick’s and Baker's gates are in very good order. Northern Area.—-Miller’s gate has the hinges exposed through the concrete being broken uway. A new wooden gate is required. , McCo watt’s gate has the hinges twisted, and'y Tower’s gate Is very much shaken. Lindsay’S gate, is propped open while the drain is being cleaned, but it works well. Taylor’s gate requires a timber frame, and a slip has caused part of the south wail to become broken. Tookey’s gate require to be raised about a foot to cause * scour. Th? gate was hanging in dead water on account of ite distance from the river. Mule’s gate is doing no better than when the concrete was there, tehis; full up with rubbish and timber. Torr’s gate is in good order, and only requires the grating attended to. Mr Gray reported having ordered timber for a new gate at Miller’s. Salt water, had penetrated through a crack in the gate and eaten away the reinforcement. During the recent easterly gale the channel at thej Towers outlet had increased from a , narrow channel to a basin over a chain wide. There .was a danger that at the next flood the gate and wing walls would be washed away. He did not know what could be done with it. Mr McConnell was instructed to do certain work on many of the gates, and also to visit Ngatea and inspect some of the latest types of hinges ch) the Lands Department’s gates with A view to their adoption by the board. It was considered that with a longer hinge, as used by the Department, there would be less chance of debris blocking the gates open or causing them to become strained or broken. It was also decided to construct and fit an experimental gate.

DAMAGE BY COUNTY. Mr Heappey moved that the County Council be requested to repair the, roadside drain from Carter’s corner t-> Mi Heappcy’s gate. Seconded by Mr Baker and carried. FINANCE. ‘ The following statement of works for the year ended March 31, IM4, was tabled by the clerk: Northern Area. —Expenditure on works. £l9l 0s id; administrationJlSS; total,- £247 0s Id. The deficit brough: forward from * the previous year was £3O 12s 9d, which made the expenditure £277 12s lOd. the rate levied for the year April 1, 1923 to March 31, 1924, was £173 16s lOd, leaving a deficit to be carried forward of. £lO3 16s. In the Turua area the expenditure was : Works £144 7s 7d, administration £42 10s, total £lB6 17s 7d. The rates levied totalled £lB7 17s lOd, bu; there was a deficit of £S7 16s Id., brought forward, leaving a deficit of £56 16s sd. . In the Central area' the expenditure was £212 13s Id on works Mid £63 10s on administration, making a tot®’ of £27,6 3s Id. The rates levied amounted to £339 3s 4d, but a deficit of £123 9s 6d brought down made the sum of £6O 9s 3d to be carried forward. ’ In the Te Kauri area the expenditure Was £176, Is on works and £63 15s for administration, totallirjg £l4l 16s. The rates levied to meet this made £274 4s Bd, but a deficit of £99 17s 6d made the amount to be car- ’ ried forward £67 8s JLOd. , , In the Monganui area works eost £lO3 8s lOd and administration £4K 6s 9d, totalling £2OB 15s 7d. The rates levied amounted to £254,2s 6d, but £B3 9s brought down left a deficit of , £4B 2s Id.The clerk explained that the board’s finances were not as bad as they appeared. Taking it as a, whole, the expenditure for the year was within £2 of the revenue received. It was to be remembered that the work just completed and paid for would be provided for by the rates which would shortly be struck .for the current year. In addition certain*, sums were due from'the Government on account of work (J one on dual epntr-. l drains, and also certain work had been charged to area accounts whicn would eventually be paid for by loan or subsidy moneys. The total expenditure of the board for the year was £1271, and the total receipts £1263. Certain arrears of rates had been received, and there was a credit balance! from the previous year, so that at nresent there was a credit balance.